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"Definitely," Chase agrees with a nod, his gaze sharpening on me. "He ratted out the second guy, a buddy of his. But their stories are identical. That a guy paid them to come along with him and promised them the money from the robbery."

"But why round up two guys to rob the bar, pay them and let them keep the money? Why not keep some for yourself?" I ask before I think.

Sully stiffens and straightens to his full height, and a second later, my brain catches on. "Because the robbery wasn't about the money."

Sully moves to stand behind me, wrapping his thickly muscled arms around my upper chest in a compression hug I very much need at the moment, even though a part of me wants to shove him away. To stand my ground and be the woman I want to be. Strong and brave and able to take on whatever gets thrown at me.

"You think it's another indication that the robbery was personal," Sully says.

"You think the third man is my ex," I add in a tight whisper.

Chase's gaze flicks up to where Sully stands behind me and back to me again. "You tell me. In your statement, you said the man who grabbed you didn't speak, but he roughed you up?" Chase pauses. "Groped you?"

I go hot from head to toe. Sully squeezes me a little more tightly, and I realize I'm trembling. But I nod a confirmation. And even though I don't want to, I force myself to go back to that night mentally. I inhale and close my eyes and feel the cold night air. The surge of fear and shock when something as normal as leaving the bar like I've done safely a thousand times suddenly wasn't.

I only caught a few glimpses of the man as he grabbed me. He slammed me against the brick wall of the building face-first before yanking me around and hitting me. His angry breaths⁠—

He didn't speak. And maybe my imagination is working overtime, but was the man's heavy breathing, the sounds of his grunts as I fought him—were they the same as Thad's?

I know in my heart I can't possibly discern between the two, but my mind⁠—

I focus on the memory. The feel of his body grinding against mine before he swung me around, hands roaming, before he held me to his front as I gasped for air and comprehension.

I grabbed his arm, tried to break his hold but only managed to pull his sleeve up a bit above a glove.

I gasp and open my eyes. "He had a tattoo," I say abruptly. The man had on gloves and a mask but… "I tried to get away and pulled his sleeve. He had a tattoo of a-a snake? On his wrist and maybe his hand? The—the very top of it. On his wrist bone. Whatever it's called. I just caught a flash, but it looked like a snake."

Chase pulls out a small notebook and scribbles something down before flipping back through the pages. "Ty mentioned tattoos on the other guys because they didn't wear gloves but nothing about the one who grabbed you."

I nod, feeling a bit manic. "It just came to me. Thad didn't have that tattoo there when I knew him. He only had a few on his chest."

"Hang tight. I'll be right back," Chase says, retracing his steps down the hall and letting himself out of the house.

Sully gently turns me around and cradles my face in his palms. He stares down at me like he wants to sweep me up and lock me away, and I shake my head despite the desire to let him have his way. "It might not be him."

"The timing is an awfully big coincidence if it isn't," he murmurs, his eyes searching mine. "Please reconsider this plan of yours. Just for a while."

I pull away and lift my chin high, glaring up at Sully. "Don't."

"I can't stand the thought of someone hurting you."

"Life hurts, Sully. But if I don't keep moving forward, I'll never do anything." And just like that, we're back to opposing sides on me being determined to not live in fear and Sully hating my need for independence. To prove myself capable and brave and strong enough to survive whatever is thrown at me. To be the woman Thad always said I wasn't.

"I can't—I won't—hide."

"How is a few days of rest, while we find out who the third man is, going to hurt?"

I step back and open my arms wide. "He may never be caught. And I'm fine now. And maybe you have resources to fall back on, but I don't. I need to earn a living, Sully. But more importantly, I refuse to let fear—or Thad—control my life again." I lower my voice but don't soften my tone as I force myself to add, "That is something you need to remember if we're going to be together. I won't allow you to govern me. You take me as I am, or we can't do this."

Chase knocks sharply once before letting himself back inside the house. His heavy footfalls sound across the tile hallway as he joins us in quick strides. I'm irritated by the second interruption from the man when Sully and I need to have this out once and for all.

"Take a look at these," Chase says, lowering two photos atop the dining table and spreading them apart.

I move to get a better look and want to hurl at the sight of my ex. I'd seen his mug shots when he was arrested for assaulting me, but these seem to be more recent. He looks older, harder. Thicker and not in a good way. He's shirtless, and he has a lot more tattoos than when he first went to prison.

I try to compare these photos to the man I fell in love with. To the one who seemed so sweet and wonderful in the beginning. The man who brought flowers and love bombed me and made me feel so special and seen. I loved him so much. I fell head over heels. I truly thought he was my forever guy.

But these photos?